Welcome to the church of Rev. Sugar Bush Squirrel where she has sermons to lift your spirits and brighten your day.  Learn to live a better life through Sugar Bush, as she delivers her messages on love and life for all living creatures great and small (updated regularly).  Email your own 'life's little messages' and join her congregation as she quotes some of the greatest minds on earth. 

Rev. Squirrel will never ask for money to keep her fellowship going, so always remember...

Church is just a click away...

There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she was blind.  She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her.  She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

 One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she could see everything, including her boyfriend.  Her boyfriend asked her, "Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?" The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind, too, and refused to marry him.

 Her boyfriend walked away in tears and later wrote a letter to her saying, "Just take good care of my eyes, dear."

No Time

I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease.....
All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me I'd fear.
No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need
But at last the time to die.
I went before the Lord,
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands God held a book;
It was the book of life.
God looked into his book and said,
"Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down...
But never found the time!"

The Tablecloth

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc., and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days

On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.

The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, he headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type of sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .

The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria . When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth, but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home; that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a house-cleaning job.
What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare. The pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving.

The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike.

He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.

True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid

When you're down to nothing, God is up to something."

She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room.  She said:  "How is my little boy ?  Is he going to be all right ?  When can I see him ?"

The surgeon said, "I'm sorry.  We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it."
 
Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer ?  Doesn't God care any more ?  Where were you, God, when my son needed you ?"

The surgeon asked, "Would you like some time alone with your son ?  One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university."

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son.  She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair.  "Would you like a lock of his hair ?" the nurse asked.

Sally nodded yes.  The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.
 
The mother said, "It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study.  He said it might help somebody else.  "I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die.  Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom."  She went on, "My Jimmy had a heart of gold.  Always thinking of someone else.  Always wanting to help others if he could."

Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there.  She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car.
 
The drive home was difficult.  It was even harder to enter the empty house.  She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room.

She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them.  She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.
 
It was around midnight when Sally awoke.  Laying beside her on the bed was a folded letter.  The letter said :

"Dear Mom, I know you're going to miss me;  but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say "I Love You" .  I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again.  Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me.  He can have my room and old stuff to play with.  But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do.  You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know.  Don't be sad thinking about me.  This really is a neat place.  Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything.  The angels are so cool.  I love to watch them fly.  And, you know what?  Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures.  Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him.  Jesus himself took me to see GOD !  And guess what, Mom ?  I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important.  That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything.  But I already knew that wasn't allowed.  Well, you know what Mom ?  God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter.  I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you.  God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'Where was He when I needed him ?'  "God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross.  He was right there, as He always is with all His children.  Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you.  To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper.  Isn't that cool ?  I have to give God His pen back now. He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life.  Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper.  I'm sure the food will be great.
 
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.  I don't hurt anymore.  The cancer is all gone.  I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either.  That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me.  The Angel said I was a Special Delivery !  How about that ?

Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me.

"Do you know the Preamble to your state's Constitution?  Check it out...notice God is mentioned in every one!  What happened?  Are we not grateful to Almighty God anymore?" asks Sugar Bush Squirrel.

Alabama 1901 , Preamble. We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution.
Alaska 1956, Preamble. We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.
Arizona 1911, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...
Arkansas 1874, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arkansas, grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...
California 1879, Preamble. We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom.
Colorado 1876, Preamble. We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe.
Connecticut 1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.
Delaware 1897, Preamble. Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences.
Florida 1885, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Florida, grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...
Georgia 1777, Preamble. We, the people of Georgia, relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution...
Hawaii 1959, Preamble. We, the people of Hawaii, Grateful for Divine Guidance .. Establish this Constitution.
Idaho 1889, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.
Illinois 1870, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
Indiana 1851, Preamble. We, the People of the State of Indiana, grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.
Iowa 1857, Preamble We, the People of the State of Iowa, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution.
Kansas 1859, Preamble. We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.
Kentucky 1891, Preamble. We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties...
Louisiana 1921, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.
Maine 1820, Preamble. We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity ... And imploring His aid and direction.
Maryland 1776, Preamble We, the people of the state of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...
Massachusetts 1780, Preamble. We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe. In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction ..
Michigan 1908, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom establish this Constitution.
Minnesota, 1857, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:
Mississippi 1890, Preamble. We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Al mighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.
Missouri 1845, Preamble. We, the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness .. Establish this Constitution.
Montana 1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution.
Nebraska 1875, Preamble. We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom. Establish this Constitution.
Nevada 1864, Preamble. We the people of the State of Nevada, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom establish this Constitution
New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V. Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.
New Jersey 1844, Preamble. We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
New Mexico 1911, Preamble. We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty
New York 1846, Preamble. We, the people of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.
North Carolina 1868, Preamble. We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those
North Dakota 1889, Preamble . We , the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...
Ohio 1852, Preamble. We the people of the state of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common
Oklahoma 1907, Preamble. Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty .... establish this.
Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I. Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences.
Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance
Rhode Island 1842, Preamble. We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing
South Carolina, 1778, Preamble. We, the people of he State of South Carolina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
South Dakota 1889, Preamble. We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties
Tennessee 1796, Art. XI.III. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience...
Texas 1845, Preamble. We the People of the Republic of Texas, acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.
Utah 1896, Preamble. Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.
Vermont 1777, Preamble. Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man
Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other
Washington 1889, Preamble. We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution
West Virginia 1872, Preamble. Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God.
Wisconsin 1848, Preamble We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility
Wyoming 1890, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties, establish this Constitution.

"After reviewing acknowledgments of God from all 50 state constitutions, one is faced with the prospect that maybe, the ACLU and the out-of-control federal courts are wrong! If you found this to be troubling copy and send to as many as you think will be enlightened as I hope you were." Sugar Bush Squirrel

Here's something everyone should read and think about.  It was sent to me from one of my ePals in South Africa.  Thanks, Janet!

The Drug Problem in America

    The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, ''Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?''

    I replied: I had a drug problem when I was young:
I was drug to church on Sunday morning.

I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.

I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.

 I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did
not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

  I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four-letter word.

I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields.

 I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood;

       and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

    Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.

~author unknown~

Christmas Story 2007

           Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see  Santa at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin.  The child climbed up on his lap,  holding a picture of a little girl.  "Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling. "Your friend?  Your sister?"

           "Yes, Santa," he replied.  "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he said sadly.
           Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby,  and saw her dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

           "She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!" the child exclaimed.  "She misses you," he added softly.

           Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's  face, asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas.  When  they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the child  off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but halted.

          "What is it?" Santa asked warmly.

          "Well, I know it's really too much to ask you, Santa, but .." the old woman began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa's elves to  collect the little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors.  "The girl in the photograph is  my granddaughter ..  well, you see ...  she has leukemia and isn't expected to make it even through the holidays," she
said through tear-filled eyes.  "Is there any way, Santa ...  any
possible way that you could come see Sarah?  That's all she's asked for, for Christmas, is to see Santa."

           Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the woman to leave  information with his elves as to where Sarah was, and he would see what he could do.  Santa thought of little else the rest of that afternoon.
 

He knew what he had to do.  "What if it were MY child lying in that hospital bed, dying," he thought with a sinking heart, "this is the least  I can do."
          

When Santa finished visiting with all the boys and girls that
evening, he retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah was staying.  He asked the assistant location manager how to get to Children's Hospital.

           "Why?" Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face.

           Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah's grandmother earlier that day.  "C'mon ....  I'll take you there," Rick said softly.

           Rick drove them to the hospital and came inside with Santa. They found out which room Sarah was in.  A pale Rick said he would wait out in the hall.  Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half-closed door and saw little Sarah on the bed.  The room was full of what appeared to be her family; there was the Grandmother and the girl's brother he had met earlier that day.  A woman whom he guessed was Sarah's mother stood by the bed, gently pushing Sarah's thin hair off her forehead.  And another woman who he discovered later was Sarah's aunt, sat in a chair near the bed with weary, sad look on her face.  They were talking quietly, and Santa could sense the warmth and closeness of the
family, and their love and concern for Sarah.  Taking a deep breath, and forcing a smile on his face, Santa entered the room, bellowing a hearty, "Ho, ho, ho!"

          "Santa!" shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to escape her bed to run to him, IV tubes in tact.
          
             Santa rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug.  A child the tender age of his own son -- 9 years old -- gazed up at him with wonder and excitement.  Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale bald patches from the effects of chemotherapy.  But all he saw when he looked at her was a pair of huge, blue eyes.  His heart melted, and he had to force himself to choke back tears.  Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah's face, he could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the women in the room. 

As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept quietly to  the bedside one by one, squeezing Santa's shoulder or his hand gratefully, whispering "thank you" as they gazed sincerely at him with shining eyes.  Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told him excitedly all the toys she wanted for Christmas, assuring him she'd been a very good girl that year.  As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his spirit to pray for Sarah, and asked for permission from the girl's mother.  She nodded in agreement and the entire family circled around Sarah's bed, holding hands.  Santa looked intensely at Sarah and asked her if she believed in angels.

           "Oh, yes, Santa ...  I do!" she exclaimed.

           "Well, I'm going to ask that angels watch over you," he said.  Laying one hand on the child's head, Santa closed his eyes and prayed. He asked that God touch little Sarah, and heal her body from this disease.  He asked that angels minister to her, watch and keep her. And when he finished praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing softly, "Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright." The
family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, and crying tears  of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed at them all.  When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed again and held Sarah's frail, small hands in his own.
          
"Now, Sarah," he said authoritatively, "you have a job to do,
and that is to concentrate on getting well.  I want you to have fun  playing with your friends this summer, and I expect to see you at my house at Mayfair Mall this time next year!" He knew it was risky proclaiming that, to this little girl who had terminal cancer, but he "had" to.  He had to give her the greatest gift he could -- not dolls or games or toys -- but the gift of HOPE.
          
"Yes, Santa!" Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright.

         He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and left the room. Out in the hall, the minute Santa's eyes met Rick's, a look passed  between them and they wept unashamed.  Sarah's mother and grandmother slipped out of the room quickly and rushed to Santa's side to thank him.

          "My only child is the same age as Sarah," he explained quietly. "This is the least I could do." They nodded with understanding and hugged  him.

          One year later, Santa Mark was again back on the set in Milwaukee for his six-week, seasonal job which he so loves to do.
 
Several weeks went by and then one day a child came up to sit on his lap.

 "Hi, Santa!  Remember me?!"

           "Of course, I do," Santa proclaimed (as he always does),  smiling down at her. After all, the secret to being a "good" Santa is to always make each child feel as if they are the "only" child in the world at that moment.

           "You came to see me in the hospital last year!" Santa's jaw dropped.

           Tears immediately sprang in his eyes, and he grabbed this little miracle and held her to his chest.  "Sarah!" he exclaimed.  He scarcely recognized her, for her hair was long and silky and her cheeks were rosy -- much different from the little girl he had visited just a year before.  He looked over and saw Sarah's mother and grandmother in the sidelines smiling and waving and wiping their eyes.

          That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus.  He had  witnessed --and been blessed to be instrumental in bringing about -- this miracle of hope.  This precious little child was healed.  Cancer-free.  Alive and well.  He silently looked up to Heaven and humbly whispered,  "Thank you, Father, 'tis a very, Merry Christmas!"

Sermon of Quotes     

I love what I do and if it touches one life then it's been worthwhile.  (Sugar Bush Squirrel)

Chance favors the prepared mind.  (Louis Pasteur)

Progress always involves risk; you can't steal 2nd base and keep your foot on first.  (Frederick Wilcox)

If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry.  He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well! (Martin Luther King Jr.)

There is no evil in the atom; only in men's souls. (Adlai Stevenson)

The love we give away is the only love we keep.  (Elbert Hubbard)

Speak the truth and shame the devil.  (Francois Rabelais)

Things only have the value that we give them.  (Moliere)

We must not measure greatness from the mansion down, but from the manger up.  (Rev. Jesse Jackson)

To succeed you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality.  {Anita Roddick (Andy's mom)}

The love of one's country is a natural thing.  But why should love stop at the border?   (Pablo Casals)

The thicker the squirrel's tail, the harder the winter. (The Farmer's Almanac)

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Some things you won't do for yourself, you'll do for your kids. (Pamela Anderson)

When love and skill work together expect a masterpiece. (Ruskin)

The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth and have it found out by accident. (Charles Lamb)

I find the great thing in this world is, not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. (Goethe)

No affliction would trouble a child of God, if he knew God's reasons for sending it. (Morgan)

An ungrateful man is like a hog under a tree eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they come from. (Timothy Dexter)

False friends are like our shadow, keeping close to us when we walk in the sunshine, but leaving us the instant we cross into the shade.  (Bovee)

Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it. (Albert Smith)

Those who paint 'em truest praise 'em most. (Joseph Addison)

I can't afford to waste my time making money. (Louis Agassiz)

You've gotta have a swine to show you where the truffles are. (Edward Albee)

I like work; it fascinates me.  I can sit and look at it for hours. (Jerome K. Jerome)

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If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself.  (Oswald Chambers)

We have no conception of what God is aiming at, and as we go on, it gets more and more vague. (Oswald Chambers)

The past, the present and the future are really one... they are today. (Stowe)

If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success. (John D. Rockefeller)

The young man who has not wept is a savage, and the old man who will not laugh is a fool.  (Santayana)

Well done is better than well said. (Benjamin Franklin)

The greatest remedy for anger is delay. (Seneca)

To me...old age is 15 years older than I am. (Bernard M. Baruch)

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely. (Rodin)

Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me twice, shame on me. (Chinese Proverb)

No man is so great as mankind. (Theodore E. Parker)

Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting. (Christopher Morley)

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I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today. (William Allen White)

The men who succeed best in public life are those who take the risk of standing by their own convictions. (James A. Garfield)

A man there was and they called him mad; the more he gave, the more he had. (Bunyan)

The greater the obstacle the more glory in overcoming it. (Moliere)

Fear not for the future, weep not for the past. (Shelley)

Do your best, not because your work is worth it, but because you are. (Unknown)

What we see depends mainly on what we look for. (John Lubbock)

Wear a smile and have friends; wear a frown and have wrinkles.  What do we live for if not to make the world less difficult for each other? (George Eliot)

Either I will find a way or I will make one. (Sir P. Sidney)

The Golden Rule is of no use to you whatsoever unless you realize that it's your move! (Dr. Frank Crane)

Each man is the architect of his own destiny. (In Sallust, Ad Caesarem I , 4-3 cen. BC)

With women, the heart argues, not the mind...(Matthew Arnold 1822)

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GOD SPILLED THE PAINT

God spilled the paint about 50 miles due west of Bakersfield, California, on the east side of the Carrizo Plain in the Temblor Range.

Sermon of Faith

A true story...

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens. "Great", she thought. "Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry."

She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth."

She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me." 
 

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."

I think it would do all of us some good to say, "God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will."

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Sermon about Noah

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark.

ONE: Don't miss the boat.

TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat.

THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

FOUR: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

FIVE: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

SIX: Build your future on high ground.

SEVEN: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

EIGHT: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

NINE: When you're stressed, float awhile.

TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Click on the earth below to email your 'life's little messages' to me, Rev. Sugar Bush Squirrel.  Tell me who quoted it, if you know, and let's make the world a better place!

Christmas Sermon 2005

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn't been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn't hate Christmas, just couldn't find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through.

Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. "Thank you, but I don't mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you're busy, I'll just go." "Not without something hot in your belly." George said.

He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain't much, but it's hot and tasty, "Stew ... made it myself. When you're done, there's coffee and it's fresh."

Just at that moment he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell. "Excuse me, be right back," George said. There in the driveway was an old '53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Mister can you help me!" said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken."

George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead. "You ain't going in this thing," George said as he turned away.

"But Mister, please help ..." The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain't the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."

George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I gave 'em the truck, their tires were shot too. That 'ol truck has brand new ........" George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.

George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the the block hadn't cracked, it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to himself. So he put a new one on.

"Those tires ain't gonna get 'em through the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife's old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn't going to drive the car anyway.

As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Please help me."

George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin'," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.

"Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills. "You hang in there, I'm going to get you an ambulance."

The phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two way radio.

He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."

George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain't gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through 'ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain."

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked. "None for me," said the officer. "Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I ain't got no donuts." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.

The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.

"That's the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.

"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."

The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I'll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!"

The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here now."

He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, it's Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain't much but it's all I got. Now put that pee shooter away."

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I'm not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I've lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week ..."

George handed the gun to the cop. Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."

He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Bein' stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin' in here with a gun ain't the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we'll sort this thing out."

The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I'm sorry officer."

"Shut up and drink your coffee." the cop said.

George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.

"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"

"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, "I don't know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.

"That guy work here?," the wounded cop continued. "Yep," George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"

Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy ... and you too, George, and thanks for everything."

"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems."

George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go, something for the little woman. I don't think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can't take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."

"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That's all I need."

George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell. "Here's something for that little man of yours."

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.

"And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said, "Now git home to your family."

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I'll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."

"Nope. I'm closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where'd you come from? I thought you left?"

"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don't celebrate Christmas. Why?"

"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn't see what all the bother was. Puttin' up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin' cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn't the same by myself and besides I was gettin' a little chubby."

The stranger put his hand on George's shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George.
You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry.
The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.
The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists.
The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. "That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.

"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."

The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."

George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.

"You see, George ... it's My birthday. Merry Christmas."

George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord."